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I do a little bit of everything.
I ask questions that make them wonder if they know their own product.
I ask "dumb" questions, but I explain why I think a customer might want/need to know this-or-that. Or mention the name of a customer who already asked.
I don't attack the product in the planned, compartmentalized [anal?] way that a tester does, but I often manage to break a product in ways the others have not thought of. This gets me points, and offers of a testing job, which I always refuse. Of course, I work directly for the testing manager, so he might be joshing.
The upshot is that the developers and testers are at least half-kidding when they duck and avert their eyes as I go past.... :-)

Seriously, I've never had a problem getting questions answered. The only problem sometimes, is the painful excess of detail. But then I have more questions, to narrow and filter it, so it all works out. Also, when I end up talking to three or six people on the track of some mystery, I make it a point to go back and summarize my findings for the people who contributed a piece, or who admitted to wondering the same thing, along the way.

Oh, and every second trip to Costco, I leave a bag/box/bowl of some sort of goodies in the lunch room.
If nothing else, I've single-handedly elevated the plebian chocolate tastes of dozens of co-workers. :->

- kevin (expanding minds and waistlines at this company for 15 years now)

<<"It helps, of course, to bother them as little as possible and to ask the smartest questions you can.">>

In my experience, I've found the "how" of asking questions to be just as important as asking the right questions. I'd ask my developers how they wanted to approach my questions. Did they want one email a day with all of my questions lumped together? Perhaps one email for each issue for better tracking? Some preferred F2F discussions. I learned which ones were grumpy at what part of the day and tried to avoid Grumpy Time.

When I demonstrated that I valued their time and wanted to be mindful of their preferences, they generally reciprocated.

Joyce Fetterman

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